Scope: Completely refaced kitchen and dining area. Design by Kitchen Magic in our exclusive maintenance free color, Hard Rock Maple.

Currently, kitchen consumers are attracted to light wood tones without a busy grain. This light and airy kitchen offers a modern look that is definitely on the upswing. When it comes to trendy, yet a smart design, this kitchen will always be in fashion.Utilizing the refacing process, the existing cabinets are covered in a matching veneer using our exclusive double lamination process. The Euro door is a contemporary style with clean lines creating a sophisticated dining experience. Hard Rock Maple is a light wood color which provides a grand feeling in the room while still maintaining the warmth of wood.

The kitchen’s maintenance-free material comes complete with all of the laminate benefits, including durability, beauty and easy clean up.

Refacing Process:
Step 1: Removal of all doors and drawers.
Step 2: Apply matching laminate material to all exposed areas of cabinets.
Step 3: Installation of all new doors and drawers in matching material.

Kitchen Description:
Color: Hard Rock Maple
Style: Euro Plain Door /Frameless

Includes:
45 doors / 21 drawer units
Storage Solutions: Two sets of stacked drawers (4 each) were converted to cabinet doors. Then 2 Rollouts per drawer were added for more accessible items. Roll outs are a smart storage solution.
New Drawer Glides – Blumotion®– A revolutionary shock absorbing drawer glide. Makes even heavily loaded drawers close slowly, quietly and so smoothly.

Unusual Constraints:

Replace cabinet’s radius end panels with boxes that have 45 degree corners. .
The customers wanted to replace the dated rounded cabinet corners. This was difficult to do with a refacing project. In refacing, you don’t usually change the shape of the cabinets, you just cover them.

Solution:
Build 2 inch wide boxes for each end unit with angled front corner. These boxes were attached to the side of the end cabinets and the veneer was applied over that extension creating a wider cabinet without dated rounded corners. Now the cabinets have sleek angled corner.

The kitchen won the Remodeling News Magazine Innovation in Construction Award in the Kitchen Facelift category. For More Information visit Kitchen Magic

If you are considering renovating your home, buying a home to renovate, or flipping a house, this will give you some incite as to what it really takes to do a total home renovation.

Week Two

The homes interior needed to be completely gutted. After speaking to some of the neighbours, we discovered that there were 10 illegal immigrants renting small sections of a room, so they wound up dividing bedrooms into 2 or 3 very small spaces to rent out more spaces. Along the way there were some surprises; here is what happened.

Knowing that it was a physically challenging job, and that don’t come close to having my husbands strength, we started with the upstairs. This way the thinks that took the most energy I could do right away.

The small room on the upstairs addition previously used as a second kitchen to accommodate more people. We removed the sink, walls, and ceiling. One pleasant surprise was the ceiling under the pressboard. It was actually usable! Updating the windows to create a beautiful solarium looking over the back yard, this can be an office or baby area. The exposed brink will add a unique feeling to a small but great space.

The bedroom attached to this area was sectioned off, creating a walkway to the makeshift kitchen. We took down the way, and we very happy to see that they had not destroyed the hardwood floors that we are refinishing. They did however reinforce that wall into the molding around the door, so all of that has to be replaced.

Once we were able to open the room up a bit, we starting by demolishing the wall connected to the bathroom. Any stress that I had, I put to good use, as this wall was all board and baton plaster so required some serious strength.

One thing to remember when working with board and baton plaster, WEAR A MASK, or you get the black lung! It’s messy and not pleasant to breathe in!

Meanwhile, in the other 2 bedrooms all the T Bar ceilings had to go. It is okay of an office but not a home. Both the master and the larger of the other two rooms had limited closet space, so the master bedroom is getting a new wall-to-wall closet that is both functional and accommodating. The existing closet in the master bedroom now opens into the second bedroom so there is one large usable closet for added storage.

Now on to the fun stuff! The upstairs bathroom, in all its pink glory was completely town out, including the floorboards. This is where we noticed the weak floors that we need to replace. No light duty here, the tiles in the bathroom weighed a ton and was dragged down stairs and out the back into the dumpster.

After day one, the upstairs was finished and we were on to the main floor. In the front entrance, we decided that the hardwood was too damaged to repair, so marble tiles will be laid. Easier to keep clean and an warm welcome home. After removing the hardwood, we found more hard wood! Still too much damage from the 100+ nails per square inch, but it was a nice surprise that will save some money by not having to redo the entire area.

Next, we took out the living room doorway. It closed off the entire space and the fireplace in the living room can now be seen as soon as you walk in. Again, board and Baton plaster.

The dining room was already in good shape. Little needs to be done here so we were off to the Kitchen.

No small task, we tore out the kitchen. Cupboards, counters, and floor all needed to go. There was previous water damage so we took out some walls to ensure that everything was sealed up properly. We have yet to decide how to handle the century hardwood floors we found in the kitchen, originally we had intended on tile, however, the beautiful floors we discovered are priceless, and we hate to cover them up.

A small area of the kitchen converted to add a second bathroom, not a bad idea, however they had no lights so they added (and poorly) glass planes to allow the light in. Both the tub and toilet had to go. Its still a mystery where the sink was suppose to be. After much deliberation, we decided to move the bathroom into the back addition and make it a half bath, leaving much more room in the kitchen.

Day 2 was a long day spent mainly on the living room and kitchen, but will be worth it in the end.

By the end of the week we were tired, and swore, however the feeling of accomplishment was there making it worthwhile, and why the stress scale was only a 7.2.

Come back next week as we start framing and the electrical. Good bye knob and tube wiring.

Home improvements can be trying on your and your family. Here are a few simple steps to ease some of the tension.

Getting Started
1. Gather a scrapbook - It should consist of notes, photos, and articles that you have collected that reflect your need and the style you are looking for.
2. Get together with your family and ask them for their input and wish lists.
3. Come up with a budget you can live with.
4. Draw a rough sketch of your floor plan and take measurements (or, if building, get floor plan from architect or builder).
5. If you would like, print and fill out the Kitchen Planning Guide which can be found . http://www.classickitchendesigns.com/Kitchens/planning_guide.htm

Now you will need to find a showroom where they can help bring your needs and wants to life.

The first time you visit a showroom:
1. The well trained associates will be able to answer any questions you may have.
2. Review and/or assist you in establishing a budget.
3. Discuss your scrapbook of ideas - include all the important elements within your budget
4. Discuss your floor plan and go over some design ideas.
5. Discuss your plans for utilizing the room you will be remodeling.
Once you have have decided on your contractor design company:
1. They come to your home and take measurements.
2. Review and make suggestions in your home that will best suite your space and your personal needs

The second time you visit the showroom:
1. Your design team will have created a design, and drafted perspectives, elevations, and a floor plan.
2. When you have decided that everything is perfect, you will provided you with a price. The next meeting is for you to discuss the design and any potential modifications you would like to make.

The Installation Process:
1. If necessary, your design team will make arrangements with your builder, architect, and/or designer to coordinate the installation.
2. If you prefer, they will remove your existing cabinetry and appliances.
3. To ensure a quality installation, your design team will meet the installer at your home to discuss the details of your plan and installation.

For more helpful tips, and to find a Kitchen Renovation expert, call or visit Classic Kitchen Designs at 905.279.6194 or http://www.classickitchendesigns.com. Classic Kitchen Designs has been providing afforable kitchens for homeowners since 1979.

If you are looking for simple kitchen makeover ideas, without having to commit to a full kitchen renovation, here is a simple and effective method to reorganize your space.

1. Start by taking everything out of your kitchen. Empty and clean every drawer and surface. This will really help you eliminate the duplicates, and get rid of items cluttering up your drawers.

2. Now that your kitchen is empty, look at the cabinets, lighting and colour. Refer to the Kitchen Renovations article for ideas on improving these with little cost.

3. Arrange your kitchen with you in mind. As the person who spends the most time there, you may want to change things like where your cooking utensils are stored, or how accessible your plates are.

4. If you have a few large mixing bowls, take one and place it in the center of your table. Fill it with lemons and other bright coloured fruit which will last a few weeks, so you are not always replacing them.

There are several ways to improve your kitchen without having to incur a great deal of cost and using only a few basic skills.

When the kitchen becomes outdated and you find yourself tired of your flooring … ceilings … light fixtures … even cabinets, it’s relatively easy to repair, upgrade or replace these individually with less cost than an entire kitchen renovation.

First, search for pictures of other kitchens that you like to get inspired. To take a look at others’ projects or get some opinions on your own, the HomeRenovationGuide has an excellent Photo Share site (http://www.homerenovationguide.com/photoshare/), where you can post pictures of your kitchen and see what people have to say.

Some ideas to consider are:
• Changing your cabinet handles or knobs, a small but very simple change that can modernize your kitchen. If you are not interest in painting your cabinets, then ensure that the holes line up to prevent having to drill new holes and fill the old ones.

• Lighting can create a new ambiance, using elements as simple as dimmers or purchasing all new fixtures. These are easily installed, and you can ask the lighting store specialist for helpful ideas to achieve the mood you desire.

• Paint the ceiling and the walls. Don’t be afraid to be bold with the wall colours if you have a lot of cabinets.

• You can paint your cabinets as well, even if they are melamine. Prime with a specialty primer first (this is very important for melamine, so do not cut costs here). After you have primed, add two coats of paint to the cabinets and varnish for durability.

• Flooring renovations are all the rage right now. With click laminate floors, or peel and stick tiles, you can give the illusion of hardwood or ceramic tiles at a fraction of the price.

Remember to take your time and do one thing at a time.

nrollins@homerenovationguide.com

The kitchen is the centerpiece of the home. It’s where your family gathers for meals, and is always the busiest room at a party. Over the years, the kitchen sees a lot. That’s why when you are remodeling your kitchen, you want the design, and especially the kitchen cabinet design, to reflect your own personality.

Although cabinets can be made from many materials, they usually are made from wood. Typically, they are stained to reflect the wood grain from which they are made. These woods can range from a deep richly stained dark woods to light and airy bright stained woods. You can stain any wood any color, but the outcome will be quite different depending on the wood. So if you put a dark stain on a maple cabinet, it will look a bit different when applied to an oak cabinet.

Modern kitchens today are colorful and many are breaking with the traditional wood stain kitchen cabinet design and going with cabinets that scream with color. Choosing a bold color for the cabinets can make a statement in any kitchen. There are cabinets of deep blue or apple red to match everything else in the kitchen. A colorful kitchen is also a great answer for the problem of older cabinets that are showing their age due to heavy usage. Paint can work to hide the flaws and update these older cabinets.

Your drawer pulls and cabinet knobs are another thing to consider. This is what you’ll be opening and closing your cabinets with for years to come, as well as looking at when you enter the kitchen. Your options for this hardware are many. There are handles and pulls which will require two screws into the wood per cabinet. Long handles are great for long cabinets and drawers. If your cabinets and drawers are shorter, there are knobs and pulls to use with them also.

Pulls are usually mounted in the center of drawers, on the opening bottom side of cabinet doors on the ground and lower opening side of cabinets above the countertop. If you don’t want handles, you also have the option of knobs. If you only want to put 1 screwhole in the cabinets, the knobs are the way to go. On some cabinets, pulls look better, but on others knobs might be a better choice.

Cabinet hardware comes in all different styles and colors. When we think of traditional cabinet pulls, we picture bright gold, black or pewter colored hardware. Today’s consumer has a lot more to choose from. You can buy steel or themed knobs to match your kitchen. You can get knobs that are painted with pretty flowers and ones in whimsical shapes.

Today many people put a lot of money into remodeling their kitchens. Make sure your kitchen is an attractive and comfortable place to be. And your kitchen cabinet design will add to that comfort when you’ve put your own finishing touches on them.

Lee Dobbins writes for Look 4 Decor

Kitchens
The kitchen is a room you will tend to spend a lot of time in, especially if you are the main chef in your household. Make sure you are comfortable with your chosen colour scheme, as you will probably spend a significant amount of time surrounded by it. Bright, invigorating colour schemes can boost energy levels when you have a lot of cooking and cleaning to get through.
As kitchen walls tend to be dominated by cabinetry, benches and the floor, treat these elements as the starting point for your colour scheme.

The appearance of colours in the kitchen will depend on the properties and textures of each of the surfaces. Glossy surfaces, such as Melteca cabinetry, will reflect more light and look different than low-sheen painted walls, so it is important to be careful when trying to match colours in different materials. Sometimes it is better to select a tone lighter or darker, rather than trying to create an exact colour match.

Remember no matter what room you are decorating, artificial lighting can be used very successfully to complement your colour scheme and it is worth reviewing your lighting plan prior to painting.

Living Rooms
Today’s living rooms are often open spaces that link through to dining and kitchen areas. Knowing where to start and finish the colour scheme between each part of an open plan space can be very difficult. There are two techniques that you can use:

Paint a feature wall in an area between the two adjoining rooms/spaces to create a natural colour break.

Use a progression of colours, then paint a unifying colour throughout the spaces and accent with the other progressional colours.

Living rooms are the ideal place to create focal points or feature walls. Traditionally fireplaces act as the focal point of most living rooms. If you don’t have a fireplace, select a focal point for your room and decorate around that. The focal point may be a feature wall, lounge suite or something similar.

As living rooms are usually subjected to less wear and tear than family rooms, you can choose light and dark colours if desired.

Bedrooms
When selecting colours for bedrooms, it is important to choose colours that are conducive to sleeping. You are also likely to spend more time looking at the ceiling than you would in other rooms.

As a general rule, you should avoid using very bright colours here and save them for other parts of your home. Most light and pastel shades are ideal for bedrooms. Blue is a popular colour choice for bedrooms because of its soothing qualities. However, if you have trouble getting up in the morning, you may wish to add an invigorating accent to get you out of bed.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are one of the smallest rooms in the house and are generally cluttered with towel rails, basins and showers/baths. While this can make them a decorator’s nightmare, it also means you can afford to be a little more courageous with colour. If your original colour choice doesn’t work, you can always repaint a small bathroom quickly.

Chris Paulsen cpaulsen@homerenovationguide.com